Mozambique sprinter, 18, left in tears after spoiling Olympic debut with false start in lone event

Mozambique sprinter Steven Sabino’s Olympic debut was spoiled after the 18-year-old athlete committed a grave mistake in his lone event in Paris on Saturday. 

Sabino’s first time at the Summer Olympics ended as soon as it began after he was disqualified from the men’s 100-meter prelim after committing a false start on the purple track at the Stade de France.

Mozambique's Steven Sabino reacts on the sideline after disqualification as other athletes prepare to take the start in the men's 100m heat of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Paris on August 3, 2024.  (Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP via Getty Images)

Competing in the second heat of the day, Sabino was first off the block before the starting gun sounded. He appeared to throw his hand up in confusion as the officials off to the side of the track discussed the violation. 

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An official came over to Sabino to wave the red card, notifying him that he had been disqualified due to a false start. He appeared to plead with officials to no avail. 

After the incident, Sabino explained that he had reacted to what he believed was the starting gun of a different event. 

"We went into a set position and I heard a bang," Sabino said tearfully, via Yahoo Sports. "I don’t know where it came from. Probably the pole vault. I don’t know. I heard a bang. That’s the kind of bang that you hear when the electronic gun goes off."

Steven Sabino of Team Mozambique makes a false start during the men's 100m preliminary round at the Stade de France during the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France.  (Sam Barnes/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

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"They didn’t even hear what I had to say," he added of the race officials. "I sacrificed everything for this."

Sabino qualified for the Olympics in the 100-meter sprint after receiving a universality wildcard. He won a silver medal in the event at the 2023 African U18 Championship and set a national record in the men’s 100-meter in March with a time of 10.35 seconds in Johannesburg. 

"Ticking off something of this magnitude from my bucket list as an 18-year-old high schooler is surreal," he wrote on Instagram last month. "This is dedicated to my parents and siblings. Thank you for always providing me with moral support despite feeling isolated wherever I go." 

Mozambique's Steven Sabino walks off the track after disqualification as other athletes prepare to take the start in the men's 100m heat of the athletics event on August 3, 2024.  (Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images)

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Sabino was not the only sprinter on Saturday to fall victim to the Olympics’ strict false start rules. According to Yahoo Sports, Britain's Jeremiah Azu was also disqualified in his 100m prelim heat after jumping off the block too early. 

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